Maple, Hawthorn, Cherry & Apple Trees
Apple growing is pretty common here in New York state. Our weather is just right for it, and our state is known for both, our apples
and grapes. Both crops need the type of climate we have. In fact, the grapes are usually better tasting if we get a frost before they are harvested.
Wild Fox Grape Vine
Both fruits, apples and grapes
grow wild around us in the state forest as well as on private properties. Not to mention the many varieties of berries and nuts. The birds feast on the berries and fruits before they are ripe. The deer get all the low apples and the ones that fall to the ground. Squirrels and chipmunks stow the nuts and probably some of the fruits, as well, away for their winter meals.
Apples on new trees!
So for me to be able to harvest any of them after they are ripe is amazing with all that competition. This year I am going to do my best to get a decent harvest from the apple trees and the berry
bushes. I want to can those for our winter fruit supply. I love looking around and seeing all this food growing. All I have to do is harvest it. Then can or dry it. Having those jars of food on my shelves gives me a feeling of security. Not to mention the feeling of pride when I grow it or harvest it from the forest.
Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
, that are keeping the wire from being hot. Another morning of finding the horses sticking their head over and under the wire forced me to get out there early. The front corner bottom wire was already broke in half and laying on the ground. That is the one I just repaired the other day. So out we went........
growing. See what is on it?
, I believe. What a find that is! When I was a child we had two butternut trees in our front yard. I don't believe my parents ever took the time to harvest them. My brother and I would have butternut wars with the neighbor kids.
plant growing in our compost pile. Now I am even more excited because it looks like it could be a zucchini or a yellow squash. I am still not positive yet but will know before long.
.
plants growing in the other raised beds. At first they didn't do so good. Now they are doing better. But they are no way near the size of this plant. Just look at the size of the stem! I hope the birds and wild critters out here don't touch it. Never know what will strike their fancy.
pile but this one is the one we are adding to presently. I guess the seeds were ready to start and the compost pile provided the perfect environment.
to eat the grass on the other side. That meant one thing to me, the fence is NOT hot. So when my husband went out to feed them, I went with him. I fed Georgie Girl her breakfast and she loved me doing that. I really need to get back to doing that every day.
......mad, not because she was out, but because she was able to eat that grass and they weren't.
! But now I have these insulators that have to be slid onto the metal post. Some of these metal posts we have are really not made for horses. Too flimsy!
will not eat. It is funny that they won't eat them on their own. But once he started cutting it............yeah, you guessed it! They started eating it! Must be they want someone to cut their grass for them. Spoiled little girls.
are in bloom. They are so beautiful along side the road in front of our house and paddock. The roads through out the state forest have them too, but not like we have.
. Not that much traffic here. Besides my husband keeps it mowed real pretty all summer and it looks nicer than any road I have ever seen.
You can cook the early spring shoots like asparagus. Or include them in your salads. The roots are also edible and the flowers themselves are also safe to eat. Basically you can eat them all spring, summer and fall. Fresh flowers are usually cooked as fritters. Fresh, dried or withered flowers can be used in stews. Flower buds can be prepared as green beans are. The white tubers (roots) can added to salad or cooked like corn.